The Return of Gilderoy Lockhart
by Artful Dodger
Summary: The pulse-pounding, two-fisted, action-packed return of the Wizarding world's favorite pin-up boy! Can you take it? Read on, True Believers!


The Return of Gilderoy Lockhart  
by Artful Dodger  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own ANY of this! :-). Well, I did come up with Beenie, but House Elves aren't mine either!  
  
A cascade of green flame sprouted around the trees, sending the man in turquoise robes rolling for cover behind a large oak. The great tree shuddered under the assault of hexes to the accompaniment of maniacal laughter. The blond man huddling undercover swore at himself with annoyance. "Gilderoy, you idiot!" the man thought bitterly to himself. "My defense spells aren't what they used to be." Lockhart's self-berating lasted only a moment, then the barrage of hexes stopped.   
  
"Oh come on, Gilderoy..." a slimy voice carried over the branches. "Surely the mighty Gilderoy Lockhart can do better than snivel in fear in..." But the speaker didn't get a chance to finish. Flushed with anger, Lockhart rolled out from behind the tree to a crouching position, his wand pointed at his assailant. "Infernus Magnus!" Gilderoy shouted and several fireballs the size of footballs tore across the clearing toward their target. The snide man, a wizard in black robes wearing a pointed hood that covered his face, seemed to lose his confidence and he too took cover to avoid the burning storm.   
  
Lockhart took advantage of his opponent's hesitation and sprinted across the clearing. Praying that the evil wizard's consternation and fear would keep him from noticing, Gilderoy's rapidly closed the distance between them. The pointed hood of the Death Eater's mask appeared briefly from behind the dumpster where he cowered, only to make a strangled cry of alarm as he noticed Lockhart virtually upon him! The black-clad sorcerer raised his wand in a panic and screamed "Crucio!" But Gilderoy was ready. Before his opponent had even finished speaking, the turquoise-garbed wizard raised his own wand and cried "Invictus!". The power of the Cruciatus Curse sprouted from the Death-Eater's wand in coils of green energy; much like snakes. They wrapped themselves around Gilderoy, but there seemed to be a golden aura around him preventing their contact with his body.   
  
But the now-glowing wizard didn't wait for the Death Eater's next spell. Almost before he stopped the incantation for the Invictus defense, Gilderoy was already thrusting his wand forward like a fencer's blade and shouting "Expelliarmus!"  
  
The Death Eater's wand flew out of his hands and fell to the grass behind Lockhart. The curse faded away, leaving Gilderoy facing his now-cowering opponent. The victorious wizard closed the final few feet separating him and his ebon-garbed foe. "Now..." Gilderoy said, "who's been breaking the rules of the Ministry of Magic?" He tore the hood off the defeated Death Eater, and saw a thin weedy man whose face was sallow and surly. The man's hairline had receded considerably, to the point where only a thin fringe of grey-black hair graced the sides of his head. A small toothbrush moustache was over his lips, which were twisting in anger & fear.  
  
"Bowlingbrook, eh?" Lockhart said with resignation. "The Ministry will make you regret what you were doing to those muggles."   
  
It had been fairly nasty. Gilderoy had been flying on his broom back to his tower when he had seen the tiny flashes of hex-magic in the park, even from his considerable altitude. He flew down and saw to his horror a wizard dressed as a Death Eater, catching muggles on the park's jogging trails and transforming them into snails, earthworms, and other vile things; the Death Eater laughing all the while. Lockhart had stood out in front of the evil mage, and ordered him to surrender. To Gilderoy's surprise, the Death Eater had only laughed derisively and attacked.  
  
The blond wizard's reverie was broken by two figures apparating to either side of him. A tall, red-haired witch & a green-clad elderly wizard. The witch turned to address Gilderoy while the elderly sorcerer quickly summoned ropes to tie Bowlingbrook up.  
  
"Our thanks again, Mr. Lockhart, for your invaluable service to the Ministry!" the witch said with admiration tingeing her voice.  
"Not at all," Gilderoy replied, feeling a bit uncomfortable at her admiring gaze.   
But she continued, "...I know Minister Fudge would like to speak to you more about these outbreaks of Dark magic and..." She stopped, looking over Gilderoy's shoulder. "Isn't that Bartholemew Dinsleby of The Daily Prophet? I'm sure he'd love to hear about your exploits today!"   
  
But Gilderoy had already paled, and glancing over his shoulder he saw a squat man with a quill & parchment striding purposefully towards them, a cameraman behind him. The blond wizard quickly flashed a brilliantly disarming smile at the witch and said, "Well, I'd love to but alas I've got some pressing business. I'm sure you can handle things from here. Fine? Great! Wellgoodbye!" The last was run together as Gilderoy quickly apparated away, reappearing deep in the copse of trees next to his broom. He quickly mounted the broom and sped off, flying south as fast as his Nimbus 2001 would take him...  
  
***  
  
'That was close!' Lockhart thought wearily to himself as his broom touched down at his abode; an old lighthouse located on the Isle of Wight. Abandoned by the muggles, he had converted the structure into a wizard's tower with a proper potions room, herbal garden in the basement, and he'd even converted the top dome into an astrological research area, which was where he landed now, setting his broom in a corner and toweling off the water in his hair & robe. 'Only problem with this place is the fog!' the blond man thought wryly to himself. 'But it does give me privacy, I suppose.' He started downstairs, using a spell to dry the remaining water in his robes as he descended the stairway.  
  
He reached the second floor of the lighthouse, which had been decorated as a comfortable but Spartan sitting room. Lockhart put his wand on the shelf next to the door and dropped into a chair near the hearth. On cue, the fireplace burst into a cheery and warming flame. 'Another addition I'm glad I put in here," he considered as he stretched his feet to the fire to warm them.   
  
But his mind returned to the battle in the London park. One wizard wearing Death Eater's robes would be concern enough, but following on the heels of the events at the International Quidditch match and the rumors coming from the Tri-Wizard's Tournament.....well, these were all too coincidental. The Tri-Wizard's Tournament made Gilderoy think of Hogwarts, and he sighed.  
  
He got up from the chair and moved to the bookshelf, deep in reverie. It had been three years since he'd been at Hogwarts, where he'd lost everything. Even now, he couldn't recall anything of his past prior to when Harry Potter and Ron Weasley had saved him from danger. Someone had erased his memory, with a powerful memory charm that had taken from him not only his memories but his knowledge of spell use as well. It was only due to the bravery of those fine boys Harry & Ron that he was even alive today. His gaze drifted to the lowest shelf of the bookcase, where several titles shone at him, reflecting the flickering firelight. The Memory Charm placed on him had been so strong, he'd been told that the magic required to forcibly break it would almost certainly damage his mind beyond repair. But he'd at least physically recovered, and fortunately he had one way to replace his memories; his books. "Gadding with Ghouls", "Voyages with Vampires", and "Magical Me".   
  
Gilderoy closed his eyes and remembered. When he'd read the books, he was torn between admiration and angst. He'd read of his prior exploits and what a powerful wizard he'd once been. Order of Merlin Third class. Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League. Adding these to his seemingly never-ending battles against the forces of evil; well, it caused him both pride at his accomplishments and despair at his loss. But the tone of the books! Why, from the writing it sounded like he was an overbearing, egomaniacal git! This had worried Gilderoy considerably, but the truth of the matter was brought home to him while he was recovering at St. Mungo's Hospital. His editor, an overly perfumed and coiffured wizard named Ponty, had visited him at the hospital. But Ponty seemed more interested in a book that Gilderoy had apparently promised him; "Battling with Basilisks". When Lockhart had to apologize and tell the silk-robed editor that he'd lost all knowledge of the events and so could not write the book, the editor had just smiled knowingly and said "Hey, G-man! Just make something up!". The sly wizard's smile had turned to anger as Gilderoy got out of the bed and physically forced him from the room. The recovering sorcerer shouted at his editor's retreating back to NEVER come near Gilderoy Lockhart again!  
  
Gilderoy's face flushed with anger, even at the memories of that interview. Who did that editor think he was? But it made sense now. Before his memory was lost, he must have given manuscripts to that charlatan of an editor who put all that arrogant tripe in them to 'sell better'. Gilderoy fumed at the very thought. Why, such antics only cheapened the vital work he had done to defend innocents! It was on that day that Lockhart had vowed to do all in his power to return to the wizard he was, defending the weak and stamping out evil. He'd spent the past three years searching out every great wizard and witch he could, re-learning the magics he'd lost. He'd learned from Swamis in India, Monks in Tibet, hermits in the Black Forest, and even paid for personal instruction from several of the faculty at Beauxbatons & Durmstrang. Once he'd learned all he could Gilderoy had searched out evil in all its forms to confront. He'd fought giants in Scandinavia, hags in the Russian Forest, dragons in Romania and more, avoiding publicity all the while. But....  
  
The turquoise-robed wizard turned from the bookshelf and started pacing. "But why didn't I ever go to Hogwarts?" he asked himself. After all, he thought, Dumbledore was the greatest wizard of them all. But.... Hogwarts was where he'd lost everything. He just hadn't been able to bring himself to return.  
  
But now, with the Death Eaters resurfacing, and rumors that You-Know-Who... "No," Gilderoy said aloud. "Harry Potter didn't fear saying his name and neither should I. Lord Voldemort." ...rumored to be on the loose again, doubtlessly Voldemort would try to strike at Harry Potter and Hogwarts. "Well..." Gilderoy said with steel in his voice, "Lord Voldemort will have to get through me if he wants Harry Potter!" He owed that young man too much to do anything less. Indeed, he wouldn't be alive right now if it weren't for Potter. In fact, it was that boy's fearlessness and determination to deal with adversity that had given Gilderoy the inner courage to fight his long battle of recovery. So, he owed Harry Potter everything.  
  
Lockhart stopped his pacing and shouted "Beenie!" Immediately, a soft pop sounded next to him and a small creature with huge eyes and batlike ears appeared next to him. The creature looked up at him with utter adoration and said in a high-pitched squeak, "Master called? Master needs Beenie?" The wizard sighed, and replied, "Beenie, I told you not to call me Master. Mr. Lockhart will do. Gilderoy would be even better!"  
  
The little creature's brow furrowed in consternation. "But Master, Beenie cannot be doing that! Master is Master!"  
  
Gilderoy decided to avoid the inevitable (and constantly recurring) debate with the devoted house elf. Beenie had been a faithful companion after Gilderoy had rescued him from the dragon that had devoured the creature's former master and the elf had stayed on at Lockhart's tower ever since. "Beenie," he said to the house elf. "You must stay here and protect the tower. I have to go away; I don't know for how long..."  
  
Beenie wrung his hands in distress. "When will Master be back? Master must be careful! Beenie should go with Master to take care of him!"  
  
"No," Gilderoy replied patiently. "I have enemies who might attack my home while I'm gone. You must stay here."  
  
Beenie nodded in resignation and in a flash began packing Gilderoy's travelling chest. As the loyal house elf busied himself, Gilderoy retrieved his wand from the shelf and went upstairs to where his broom was drying. He hated to go back out in the wet, but he had to go before his resolve faded. Harry, Ron... he owed them too much. He wouldn't abandon them now. As the house elf dragged his trunk up the stairs, Gilderoy looked out the glass panes surrounding the lighthouse peak. But he didn't really see outside, he was looking at his reflection in the glass. His face was still something the witches admired (to his constant embarrassment), but there were worry lines here and there around his eyes and mouth which hadn't been there three years ago. Lockhart smiled to his reflection and wondered if Harry and Ron would remember him. "I just hope they won't be too disappointed in the new me. Not at all the Gilderoy Lockhart they remember, I'd wager."  
  
He turned and picked up his Nimbus 2001 broomstick. The wizard set it hovering in the air, and helped Beenie with putting the trunk on the back. Sighing, he gave the elf a goodbye hug, squeezing his arm affectionately as tears welled in Beenie's eyes. "Master will keep safe, won't he?" the elf asked in a quavering voice.  
  
"I'll try. You take care too, Beenie." With that, Gilderoy Lockhart mounted his broom and gestured at the doors. They flew open, hitting him with a bracing blast of cold air. Gilderoy kicked off and the broom flew into the sky. The wizard's thoughts continued on his past. 'Gilderoy Lockhart. Order of Merlin Third Class. Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League. etc.... Not anymore,' Lockhart thought to himself. 'But I'll be there if Harry, Ron, or Dumbledore need me. Which, I guess is all any of us can do against the coming storm.'  
  
The broomstick flew north, towards Hogwarts, and was soon lost in the darkness.  
  



End file.
